The present invention relates in general to a circuit breaker, and more particularly to a circuit breaker for a three phase electrical system.
In the publication entitled An Analysis And Report On Stored Energy Mechanisms by Stanley E. Zocholl, I-T-E Circuit Breaker Publication, 2803-1A, there is disclosed a spring charging system for a circuit breaker.
The patent to McGuffie, U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,721, issued on Sept. 5, 1972, for Circuit Breaker Including Ratchet And Pawl Spring Charging Means And Ratchet Teeth Damage Preventing Means, discloses a circuit breaker in which a pawl advances a ratchet wheel. The pawl is mounted for free rotation on a drive shaft. For charging a closing spring, a driving connection between the ratchet wheel and the drive shaft is established to rotate the drive shaft as the ratchet wheel is rotated by the pawl.
The patent to Howe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,676, issued on June 20, 1978, for Stored Energy Operator For Breakers, discloses a circuit breaker comprising a spring actuated mechanism. A closing spring in the spring actuated mechanism is compressed. The release of the compressed closing spring causes the closing of circuit breaker contacts. A ratchet wheel is mounted on a cam shaft for free rotation. The ratchet wheel is coupled to the cam shaft during the compression of the closing spring and is decoupled from the cam shaft when the closing spring is released for the closing of the circuit breaker contacts.
English Electric Corporation of Port Chester, N.Y., has manufactured and sold Vacuum Switchgear, Type VMX. The VMX vacuum switchgear comprises a circuit breaker with three vacuum interrupters arranged to define a triangular configuration. There is an interrupter for each phase of the electrical system. The interrupters are actuated by an operating mechanism. A central lifting rod raises the closing mechanisms for the three interrupters simultaneously to provide concurrent closing of circuit breaker contacts.
General Electric Company has manufactured and sold a POWER/VAC Vacuum Circuit Breaker With ML-17 Mechanism in which primary connections are made by horizontal bars and disconnect fingers, which are electrically and mechanically connected to the vacuum interrupters. The operating mechanism provides vertical motion at each interrupter to move the lower contact of the interrupter from an open position to a closed position and back to the open position. The operating mechanism is of the stored-energy type and uses a motor to charge a closing spring. The closing spring is used to close the contacts of the circuit breaker.
Westinghouse Electric Corporation has manufactured and sold a VAC-CLAD METAL-CLAD SWITCHGEAR in which vacuum interrupters are vertically disposed and primary connections are mechanically and electrically established with the contacts within the interrupters through horizontally disposed bars.